It’s all or nothing for late entry Maverick Ahanmisi

SMART CLARK GIGA CITY – Maverick Ahanmisi unleashed his best game when Alaska needed him most.

Fil-Am shooting guard went big to lead the Aces to a thrilling 122-119 overtime win over the previously streaky NLEX Road Warriors and enter the PBA Philippine Cup quarter-finals on Monday at the AUF Arena.

Ahanmisi scored a team-high 25 points while adding 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals in 34 minutes of play.

“We just wanted to go out there and play aggressive. We knew how great this game was. For us, being in contention for the top four, we knew we needed to win this game, especially against that NLEX team who have been playing well. So we just wanted to go out and give it our all, ”he said.

The 29-year-old cager scored eight points in the final draw and four scores in the extra period, including a solid layup that gave Alaska a 120-115 lead with 1:18 left before fouling out of the game.

Ahanmisi credited the team for their aggressive performance.

“I owe it all to my coaches and teammates. They just told me to be aggressive and, like I said, it’s only the team that shows chemistry and character. Everyone contributed and everyone did their part tonight. ”

The Los Angeles, California native was actually the last to hit the PBA bubble.

Despite coming from a long stay in the United States, Ahanmisi managed to stay in top form, to the surprise of Alaska coach Jeff Cariaso.

“When it came here, I expected it to weigh a little, but it didn’t. He looked like he was in shape, ”Cariaso said.

The 48-year-old mentor has nothing but praise for the hard work Ahanmisi has been putting in to maintain his condition, especially going into the single bubble setup.

“Even if he was in the United States for a long time, he was doing our workouts every day and more. So he knew when he got to the next conference, whether it was a bubble or not, he needed to be ready and took care of his body. ”

“There you can see the professionalism of Mav. He just needed to improve the form of the game. He’s doing much better and feeling better now. ”